The Mike Hosking Breakfast

Taking some of the pressure off councils is expected to make them more willing to consent buildings.   The Government will shift liability for building defects based on responsibility.   Building and Construction Minister Chris Penk says councils will still have responsibility for their consenting.   He told Mike Hosking liability will be decided by the courts.   Penk says we could see some cases where the various councils and designers share 50% liability.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Financial results are coming in thick and fast.  a2 Milk is reporting a 21% rise in profit alongside announcing it has bought the Yashili  plant in Pokeno.  It's also sold its majority stake in the Mataura Valley plant in Gore to Open Country Dairy.  Contact Energy's profit is up 13% after a surge in geothermal generation.  Freightways' profit is up 12.9%.  Chief executive Mark Troughear is putting it partly down to strong growth in Australia.  He told Mike Hosking he’s been through three recessions in this business and they’re all a little bit different, but he thinks we may have just broken the back of this current one.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast for Monday the 18th of August, we've got conflicting reports on the cost of food at the supermarket - but none of it helps the fact our country's debt is nearing $1trillion. The Prime Minister says whether or not he would appear at a Royal Commission if called upon and how close we are with a deal with Winston Peters about foreigners being able to buy a home. Jason Pine and Andrew Saville talk the Warriors, the All Blacks and whether they have better dance moves by the PM. Get the Mike Hosking Breakfast Full Show Podcast every weekday morning on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Pine and Andrew Saville join Mike Hosking this morning to discuss the weekend's sports. On the table today: The Warriors defeated the dolphins 14-10, finishing off an impressive comeback from 0-10 down.  The All-Blacks defeated Los Pumas in Argentina to secure a strong start in the Rugby Championships. And Chris Wood starts the new season of the Premier League with a bang, netting multiple goals on opening day. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may have read a report commissioned by Radio NZ to look into why their operation has become such a dumpster fire. It said a bunch of stuff that was obvious. One thing that surprised and saddened me though was that most people within that organisation thought radio was dying and audiences were bailing. That's not true. In fact it’s the opposite. Radio is robust and, comparatively speaking, thriving. So my question is, how is it you can have a company of people who don’t understand their own industry? Where did they get their view from? Why has no one corrected the view? Where is management in that process? Their audience has shrunk, but it hasn’t vanished. It's gone to, well mainly, here to Newstalk ZB. The customer is still spending, they’ve just changed shops. The fact they don't know that I would have thought should set off alarm bells, most ironically because the place is full of journalists who once upon a time had inquiring minds. They asked questions and they wanted to know things. If you have such a mind you would have quickly discovered what was actually happening and what the reality of your medium was. How can you be a journalist and be that bewildered? And if you are that bewildered on your own doorstep, how bewildered are you about the rest of life and the world? Also of concern was management's response to the report. By the way the report basically says the place is shot, it needs a bomb and some genuine talent. The response suggests what Radio NZ management do quite well is commission reports, then ignore them. So the exercise as a whole appears a waste. They got told some obvious stuff they should have known, an alarming thing about their staff they should also have known, but now they do know they need to fix and the rest seems a bit tricky. For me, they can do what they like. But what I care about is that this industry is actually successful. Some of us are having the time of our lives. Some of us know what's going on and understand proceedings. Some of us still ask a few questions. The future is bright and it's there for anyone who wants it. But to want it you've got to be keen and you've got to be awake. That might be their biggest problem of all. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister says Auckland won't be getting a bed tax this parliamentary term,  despite a renewed call from the city's mayor.  Last week Wayne Brown again called for a bed night levy, saying it wouldn't cost the Government anything.  He claimed they were cheeky for not putting one in and believed they would eventually cave.  Chris Luxon told Mike Hosking that now is not the time to be putting in another tax.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The All Blacks have defeated Argentina in the Rugby Championship.  They dispatched a 24-41 victory over Los Pumas, who hosted the All Blacks at Estadio Mario Alberto Kempes in Córdoba.  Former All Blacks coach John Hart told Mike Hosking that the dominant display still needs improving, citing a lack of discipline.   ‘You wouldn’t want to be doing that against South Africa’ he said in regard to the All-Black’s big matchup in three weeks.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The government's debt has shot up as our collective total gets closer to one trillion dollars.  The country's overall debt rose to $870billion dollars for the year to May, 5.4-percent higher than last year’s $830billion.  Central Government debt sits at nearly $239billion, rising 11-percent on last year.  ANZ Chief Economist Sharon Zollner says it's worrying if it's getting frittered away, instead of going into key things like infrastructure.   She says the trouble with the increase is the Government doesn't have a lot to show for it.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The latest Stats NZ figures says food prices in our 15 main cities have increased five-percent in the past year -- with grocery prices rising much faster than restaurant and takeaway prices.  But Foodstuffs says prices in its stores have only increased 3.4 percent.  Foodstuffs North Island Managing Director Chris Quin told Mike Hosking that much of that rise is being driven by beef, lamb and butter.  Quinn says consumers can get good value with frozen chickens, leg roasts and many winter vegetables.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New Zealand could secure a place in the global AI economy with a sustainable data centre Research by the Maxim Institute has looked at leveraging the country's renewable energy, cool climate, and strong privacy laws to become a hub in the Asia–Pacific.  Researcher Thomas Scrimgeour says high energy costs must be tackled in order to seize the opportunity.  He told Mike Hosking AI servers use huge amounts of energy - but some large players are already investing in New Zealand.  Scrimgeour says Amazon and Microsoft are investing heavily, and is expected to count for about 10 billion dollars in GDP over the next 15 years.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.